tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55609884884959263742024-03-13T20:09:02.952-07:006abkhat Ummi: Recipes from Bahrain and the Rest of the Middle EastMy Mother's Cooking - Recipes from Bahrain and the Rest of the Middle EastReeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-61780891585593864322009-04-20T23:10:00.001-07:002009-06-22T14:09:18.288-07:00My mother and Deena's waraq 3enab (stuffed grape leaves)I love the waraq enab or stuffed grape leaves(also known as waraq dawali) that we have at home. It is lemony, with just the right amount of everything. It took my mother and Deena (who helps my mother with the housework) years to perfect and now I don't think that it can get any more perfect than this! It is so popular among our extended family members that sometimes I'd come home to Deena stuffing some grape leaves for one of my Aunts who has an 3azeema (dinner party) that night. <div><br /><div>A few days ago, I was craving our house's waraq enab so I gave my mom a call and asked her for the recipe. As usual, she didn't give me very specific instructions (she cooks by intuition) so I had to try my best to get all the details needed from her. Here is the recipe I made. It is not as amazing as my mothers but is still pretty good! I can't believe how long rolling the grape leaves took but it was worth it at the end. There is this grape leave roller that they sell in Bahrain which apparently cuts the rolling process by half. I'll get myself one of those the next time I go.</div><div><br /></div><div>A bit of background on stuffed grape leaves. Stuffed grape leaves are a Mediterranean dish specifically from Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Egypt. However, they are popular all over the Arab world. Each country, or each cook for that matter has there own specific combination. I've even heard of a recipe that uses burghul instead of rice (although I've never tried it). They can be eaten hot or cold but most often, grape leaves that are eaten cold do not contain meat and the ones that are eaten warm contain meat. My mother makes both the meat and the meatless versions at home, but the meatless version is the one that she is famous for. We call grape leaves waraq 3enab at home (3 = the gutteral ayn sound) which translates to grape leaves . But others, such as my husband who is Palestinian calls them waraq dawali which translates to vine leaves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyways here's the recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>Ingredients</div><div><ul><li>2 cups of egyptian rice. You can use other short grain rice varieties such as sushi rice if you can't find egyptian rice. Never use basmati rice or other long grain varieties. You don't want to feel each rice grain when eating the stuffed grape leaves.</li><li>2 cups of finely chopped onion. (Approximately 1 large onion)</li><li>5 cups of chopped parsley</li><li>5 cups of chopped mint</li><li>3 cups of chopped tomatoes </li><li>2 cups of lemon juice (around 4 large lemons)</li><li>1 1/4 tablespoons of salt, or more to taste</li><li>1 tablespoon of pepper</li><li>Olive oil</li><li>Sliced potatoes</li><li>sliced tomatoes (optional)</li><li>sliced onions (optional)</li><li>Grape leaves (I used Orlando grape leaves)</li></ul><div><ol><li>Soak the rice in water of 15 minutes (you can chop the other ingredients while waiting).</li><li>Mix the onion, parsley, mint, tomatoes and rice together</li><li>Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice (around 2 lemons) and around 3 tablespoons of olive oil</li><li>Season with salt and pepper</li><li>Mix everything thoroughly making sure not to break the rice</li><li>Grease the pot with olive oil</li><li>Line the bottom of the pot with some grape leaves. </li><li>Add a layer of tomatoes, and then a layer of sliced onion and sliced potatoes if you wish. Many cooks only use sliced potatoes</li><li>Line a colander with some grape leaves before you begin stuffing. Add more grape leaves to the colander as needed. You are doing this because you want the excess brine to drain out.</li><li>To stuff. Take a grape leave. Sniff the stem off. Spread the leave out on a plate or a chopping board stem end facing you and shiny side facing down.</li><li>Take one heaped teaspoon of the stuffing and place it in the middle of the grape leave next to where the stem begins. Take the bottom of the leave and bring it over the stuffing. Then fold in the sides of the leave and begin rolling the leave away from you. Repeat until you are done. </li><li>As you finish stuffing each grape leave, place it in the pot, open side down, arranging all the grape leaves in rings. Make sure the stuffed leaves are tightly fit next to each other.</li><li>When you are done with a layer in the cooking pot, repeat the process starting on top of the first layer. Do not fill the pot completely. Leave around one inch or more of space.</li><li>Mix the remainder of the lemon juice with some water.</li><li>Pour the lemon-water-mixture into the pot to reach the bottom of the top layer of rolls.</li><li>Invert a heatproof plate over the rolls. This will keep the rolls from opening up. Cover the pot.</li><li>Bring liquid to a boil over high heat.</li><li>Reduce to low and simmer for around an hour. Taste. If the rice is done, then its done.</li><li>You can eat then hot or store them in the fridge for up to two weeks (make sure you drizzle a lot of olive oil on them though so that they do not spoil.</li></ol><div>I would love to hear of your version of stuffed grape leaves if you make them. My blog also contains my sister-in-laws version which is really good too. I love stuffed grape leaves. Just the other day, my sister and I were wondering who came up with such a smart idea!</div></div></div></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com122tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-52669369272325334222009-03-21T21:38:00.000-07:002009-03-21T21:47:28.824-07:00Cooking While WorkingI finally got a job a couple of weeks ago so I don't have the time I usually do to cook. I always have wondered how working women here balance cooking with working. It's definitely not an easy task! In Bahrain its much easier because many working women have maids or depend on their mothers for cooking. Here, I wake up at around 7:30 am every day and come back home at around 7:00-7:30 pm. I have a pretty long commute (slightly less than an hour) so I come back exhausted! This has made me obsessed with finding fast, easy yet still delicious recipes. I've been calling my mom a lot and visiting epicurious.com a lot to find these recipes. I want to cook more substantial meals on the weekends that I can freeze for a few days of the week at least, but so far I've either had the flu, or gone to work during the weekend. Hopefully next weekend I'll make something though. I can't imagine what Ramadhan is going to be like!Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-85520199397050068652009-03-21T21:30:00.001-07:002009-04-08T19:35:16.145-07:00Tabbouleh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1e3I_GAeI/AAAAAAAAA0g/h4U6Tj8o3cA/s1600-h/Tabbouleh325.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1e3I_GAeI/AAAAAAAAA0g/h4U6Tj8o3cA/s320/Tabbouleh325.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322514636019728866" /></a><br />Yesterday I made tabbouleh. I didn't plan to make it or anything. I realized that we had a lot of left over parsley from last week and I had no idea what to do with it. I didn't feel like being creative so the first thing that came in mind was tabbouleh. It is a really simple dish, so the end result is all about the quality of the ingredients used and their proportions to one another. Use the best quality and freshest ingredients that you can find. I thought my tabbouleh was okay. I wasn't wowed by it but I didn't hate it either. Here are my observations:<br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Things I liked:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">We didn't have any green onions at home (I don't like using the regular onions for tabbouleh) so I didn't add onions at all. I really liked the tabbouleh without the onions. Next time I'll either omit the onions or add green onions but much less than usual.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">I hate tabbouleh where the burghul has expanded too much. I like my burghul to be crunchy so I didn't soak it for too long. I soaked the burghul for maybe 10 minutes (used the whole wheat fine variety) in a mixture of lemon juice and water. This gave the burghul a slightly lemony taste. I haven't decided whether I like whole wheat burgul yet. It has a nuttier flavor than regular burghul. It gave the tabbouleh more flavor but changed its taste slighly. By the way - unlike many Americans here, I make my tabbouleh the authentic middle eastern way, which means not adding a lot of burghul.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Since we didn't have a lot of parsley left, I added more mint than usual so then mint to parsley ratio was around 1:1. I loved the extra mint. It gave the tabbouleh a lot of flavor and I will definately add a lot of mint next time.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">My tabbouleh didn't take as long as it usually did because I used a food processor. Most purist are completely against the use of a food processor for chopping the parsley and mint in tabbouleh arguing that this will bruise the parsley. I guess that would be true if you processed it for too long. However, I used the pulse button and would literally pulse for a split second, stop and pulse again. The results were excellent so if you have a pulse button on your food processor, I highly recommend using it to make your tabbouleh. It'll save you a lot of time and energy! </span><br /></li></ul></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Things I didn't do too well:<br /><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">I used goya extra virgin olive oil. Tabbouleh is all about the quality of the olive oil and goya olive oil isn't that great. Next time I make tabbouleh, I will try to use the best olive oil I can find. I think a fruity or peppery olive oil suits tabbouleh more than a grassy one</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">I used curly leaf parsley because thats what we had left over. It wasn't that bad but I prefer the flat leaf type for tabbouleh because it has more flavor</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">The tomatoes I used were a little soft.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">The parsley wasn't that fresh but I expected that because it was a week old.</span><br /></li></ul></span>Tabbouleh is a highly personal recipe. I suggest experimenting with the ingredients and the proportions so that you can find the perfect tabbouleh recipe for you. Here are a few guidelines to get you started:<br /><ul><li>Tabbouleh isn't tabbouleh without these key ingredients: Parsley (lots of it), Burgul and Tomatoes. Don't attempt to make tabbouleh without these ingredients.<br /></li><li>Most people add mint to their tabbouleh. Since I absolutely love mint, I would never make my tabbouleh without it.<br /></li><li>Many but not all add onions to their tabbouleh. Experiment with different types of onions but stay away from the regular yellow onions. Try green onions, scallions or red onions. Make sure to mince the onion very finely<br /></li><li>Some people add coriander and/or cucumbers to their tabbouleh. The cucumbers should be chopped the same size as the tomatoes and the coriander should be chopped the same size as the parsley. I personally don't like coriander in tabbouleh.<br /></li><li>Ratio of Parsley to Burghul: Everyone likes a different ratio. But for an authentic middle eastern tabbouleh, make sure that the burghul you add is equal to or less than the parsley. In other words, the predominent ingredient should never be the burghul.<br /></li><li>Make sure you dry the ingredients well after washing them. I usually shake the parsley and mint after washing and then place them between two paper towels. For the tomatoes, either use plum tomatoes or de-seed the tomatoes before adding them to the tabbouleh. Make sure you squeeze out all excess water from the burghul.</li></ul></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com254tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-35043775605272889222009-02-06T11:37:00.001-08:002009-02-06T11:50:52.117-08:00Spinach PieThis is my mother's version of Spanakopita. It is slightly different that the traditional greek recipe in that she uses sour cream as a cheese and substitutes puff pastry for the phyllo dough. I find that puff pastry is much easier to use than phyllo dough and it tastes much better. The recipe I've given is the basic recipe. It is my favorite. At the bottom you'll find suggestions for things to add to the dish. You can follow all the suggestions or just some.<div><br /></div><div><ul><li>2 10 oz packets of frozen spinach</li><li>2 1 lb packets of puff pastry (defrost in the fridge the day before)</li><li>1 1 lb container of sour cream or ricotta cheese. (Make sure you drain out any extra water/whey before using)</li><li>2 medium onions (or more)</li><li>Salt</li><li>Pepper</li><li>Nutmeg</li></ul><div><ol><li>Preheat oven to 375 farenheit</li><li>Defrost spinach in microwave.</li><li>Squeeze out excess water. This is a very important step because you don't want the pie to be soggy.</li><li>Dice the onions</li><li>Sautee the onions in olive oil. </li><li>Add spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg</li><li>Continue sauteeing until spinach has wilted, onions are soft and any excess water is gone.</li><li>Turn off heat. Mix in sour cream (make sure that you've removed excess liquid from sour cream if there is any).</li><li>Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg if needed</li><li>Butter/oil baking dish</li><li>Like bottom and side of dish with puff pastry</li><li>Add spinach mixture</li><li>Cover with another layer of puff pastry. Or alternatively, decorate top with criss-cross strips of puff pastry (this method makes it look prettier). </li><li>Seal edges and decorate with left over pieces of puff pastry</li><li>Brush puff pastry with egg, milk or butter (this will make it nice and brown when it comes out of the oven).</li><li>Bake for 1/2 hour or until puff pastry has risen</li></ol><div>Additions/variations</div><div><ul><li>Add 1 cup or more of feta cheese like the greeks do (step 8)</li><li>Use ricotta cheese instead of sour cream. You can also try using cottage cheese but make sure you use the small curd version.</li><li>Add 1/2 cup of chopped parsley and/or 1/2 cup of chopped dill (sautee with spinach - step 5)</li><li>Add 1 egg to spinach mixture (step 8)</li><li>Substitute one of the onions for diced leeks or diced scallions (step 4)</li><li>Add sauteed chicken breast pieces (step 8)</li><li>Replace spinach with another green such as kale (step 2)</li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-13937042654300970762009-02-04T12:15:00.001-08:002009-02-04T12:20:53.036-08:00The difference between cooking beef for stew and lamb for stewIn most of my recipes, I use the beef method because beef is more widely available in the U.S. where I am living right now. To cook beef for stew, use the following technique:<div><br /></div><div><ul><li> Sautee beef cubes in olive oil, salt, pepper and spices until brown<br /></li><li>Add water</li><li>Bring to a boil </li><li>Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until beef is cooked (45 min - 1 hour)</li></ul><div>Lamb takes longer to cook so I use the following method</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Sautee lamb cubes in olive oil, salt, pepper and spices until brown</li><li>Add water</li><li>Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered for maybe 45 min</li><li>Reduce heat to very low for maybe 10 min until meat is completely tender</li></ul><div><br /></div></div></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-80412777226549935552009-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:002009-02-04T12:07:39.598-08:00MudallalaThis is a Saudi recipe that my mother makes a lot at home. It is really simple to make yet it tastes delicious. I don't know the exact english translation for mudallala. It means a spoilt girl (i.e. spoiled by her parents) except for it has a more positive connotation. If anyone can think of the exact translation please let me know!<div><br /></div><div>Ingredients</div><div><ul><li>2 cups of basmati rice, soaked</li><li>dried dill weed (sbint/shbint in arabic)</li><li>2 chicken breasts (around 1 lb)</li><li>1 bay leaf</li><li>Cardamom</li><li>tumeric</li><li>1 maggie cube</li><li>1 lb (or more) of greek yogurt or lebnah (you can also mix sour cream and lebnah together)</li><li>Sumac</li></ul><div><ol><li>Preheat oven to 375 farenheit</li><li>Chop chicken breasts into one inch pieces. Place in water. </li><li>Add 1 bay leaf, some cardamom, some tumeric, 1 maggie cube and some salt and pepper.</li><li>Bring to a boil and then simmer on low until chicken is done. Take chicken out</li><li>Cook rice in chicken broth. (1.5 cups of chicken broth to 1 cup of rice if using absorption method. Ratio doesn't matter if using strained rice method).</li><li>When rice is done, add a lot of dill to the rice (alternatively you can add the dill when cooking the rice). Rice should become a greenish color</li><li>Take a casserole dish. Line with olive oil.</li><li>Place 3/4 amount of rice in dish. Press to flatten</li><li>Add chicken</li><li>Cover chicken with more rice. Press to flatten.</li><li>Cover with lebneh or greek yogurt</li><li>Top with sumac</li><li>Place in oven for 1/2 hour. </li></ol></div></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-48494646876126604002009-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:002009-02-04T11:49:42.316-08:00Chicken and Vegetable Casserole<div>This is a quick and simple dish that my mother used to make us when we were younger. I still make it a lot.</div><div><br /></div>Ingredients<div><br /></div><div><ul><li>1 packet (or can) of canned or frozen artichoke hearts </li><li>Fresh or frozen broccoli </li><li>2 chicken breasts (around 1 lb)</li><li>1 container low fat sour cream (1 lb)</li><li>Whole wheat bread crumbs (from 1 slice of bread or more)</li><li>3 medium sized potatoes or more</li><li>1 maggie cube (or chicken stock)</li><li>1 bay leaf</li><li>some grated parmesan cheese (optional)</li></ul><div><br /></div><div><ol><li>Preheat oven to 375 farenheit (I think thats 180 celcius)</li><li>Boil broccoli and artichoke hearts in salted water until cooked but still crunchy</li><li>Cut artichoke hearts into halves and chop broccoli into pieces as big as artichoke hearts</li><li>Peel potato and slice</li><li>Chop chicken breasts into pieces as big as broccoli and artichoke hearts</li><li>Cook chicken in water until it is almost done (but not completely). Add 1 bay leaf, salt, pepper and 1 maggie cube while cooking. If you use chicken stock instead of maggie then omit water (obviously)</li><li>Place all above into a casserole dish. Add around 1/2 to 1 cup of the chicken stock (you can also use vegetable stock for this part)</li><li>Cover completely with sour cream</li><li>Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese</li><li>Place in oven for half an hour</li><li>Remove from oven and place in broiler for 5 min (optional)</li></ol><div>Notes:</div><div><ul><li>You can use different vegetables for this - zuchinni, carrots, spinach, brussel sprouts etc.</li><li>Instead of boiling the chicken, you can fry it with 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper until brown. You still have to add chicken or vegetable stock to the casserole in step 7 though.</li></ul></div></div></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-77326292508928262312008-11-15T10:08:00.000-08:002008-11-15T10:18:44.219-08:00Trout with Tomato Onion Sauce<div>Ingredients</div><div><ul><li>two medium sized trout</li><li>one large onion</li><li>two medium tomatoes</li><li>dried or fresh tarragon</li><li>Olive oil</li><li>Salt</li><li>Pepper</li><li>White wine vinegar</li></ul><div><br /></div><ul><li>Preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit</li><li>season the fish with salt, olive oil and tarragon on both sides and also on the inside. Do this first so that the fish has time to absorb the seasoning. If using fresh tarragon, put two tarragon springs on the inside</li><li>dice one large onion and two medium tomatoes. Add salt, pepper and more tarragon (chopped fresh or dried). </li><li>Sautee mixture in a pan with olive oil and two tablespoons of white wine vinegar until onions and tomatoes are soft.</li><li>Assemble trout in a baking dish. Pour a bit more olive oil in baking dish to prevent sticking</li><li>Spoon half of mixture into trout and pour the rest on top</li><li>Cover baking dish with foil</li><li>Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes</li></ul></div>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-48588372614195158042008-04-22T11:30:00.001-07:002008-04-26T21:50:48.898-07:00Why a cooking blog?If you knew me, you'd be surprised that I started a cooking blog. Although I love cooking, I am more interested in politics, religion and current events. I read the news daily and keep myself updated on what's going on in the world by visiting various blogs - my favorites being Angry Arab, Nido Generation, Baghdad Burning and other Middle Eastern/Bahraini blogs. I enjoy discussing politics with my husband(who is also obssessed with politics) friends and family and I grew up with a very politically minded family. So why a cooking blog? Well a cooking blog doesn't take much effort. You just post your recipes and thats about it. But most importantly, cooking makes me happy. I see it as an outlet to life's frustrations. Whenever something is bothering me, be it personal or political, I start cooking something. Cooking is almost magical - You take a bunch of ingredients, put them together and then end up with something delicious and satisfying. If someone enjoys a dish I made or a recipe I gave them, then I feel happy and satisfied. I also love listening to people's ideas on how to improve a recipe and make it even better. I love how recipes can become personal - with each cook adding a special something that makes a recipe uniquely their own. I hope you enjoy my recipes and please feel free to send me some of your own!Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-77989765552318712792008-03-10T22:23:00.001-07:002008-04-26T21:52:12.334-07:00Learning how to cook Middle Eastern FoodI admit that while I am not the best cook in the world, for a 25 year old, I am pretty good! When I came to college, I had no idea how to cook at all. I had watched my mother cook in the kitchen and helped her with mundane tasks such as chopping onions and making salad. However I had never made a meal from start to finish. I had never needed to. Why learn how to cook when you already have someone to do it for you (and do it well too!)??? I did know how to bake though. My sister and my cousins and I would bake cakes and cookies all the time (from scratch by the way. We wern't dependent on betty crocker like most people are today!)<br />All this changed however, when I graduated from high school and went to college in the University of Virginia. While UVA was an excellent school, Charlottesville wasn't exactly diverse. It had no Middle Eastern restaurants whatsoever. After living for one year in the dorms and surviving on disguisting dining hall food, I finally moved to an apartment. I realized that I finally had a chance to get myself out of the misery I was in by learning how to cook! My first cooking experience was with rice. I had no idea how to make it. My roomate (and best friend!) who is Iraqi taught me how to make rice the easy was (3aysh/ruz mash'7ool). I was really proud of myself! My mother also would send me emails with certain recipes I had craved. I learned the most however, from cookbooks. I bought several and I would follow the recipes exactly. Most of the cookbooks I bought were ones that my mother uses home also. A few months later, I had become an expert in cooking! The next year and the year after, my roomate and I invited over 50 people for fu6oor during Ramadhan! We did a crazy amount of cooking but everyone loved the food (of course they were hungry college students) and had a good time.<br />So for those of you wanting to learn how to cook, I suggest buying a few cookbooks like I did! Here are the cookbooks that I can't live without:<br /><ul><li><strong>The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden:</strong> I love this book because the recipes are simple but they turn out great. The book has recipes from every region of the middle east with the exception of the khaleej and Iran. There are a lot of Egyptian recipes which is good since egyptian recipes are hard to find in other cookbooks. I've tried several recipes from this book and they all have turned out to be great! My mother loves this book also. I definately recommend buying this book if you want to learn how to cook!</li><li><strong>The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos:</strong> This is another book that my mother relies on a lot. The book is divided into regions and spans the entire Middle East with the exception of the North African countries. I recommend buying it simply because it has recipes from everywhere.</li><li><strong>The Arab Table by May S. Bsisu:</strong> This book was recently published in 2005. I bought it for my sister first but then I couldn't resist the temptation to buy a copy for myself also! Bsisu is an excellent cook! She is half Palestinian-half Lebanese and has lived in Kuwait for most of her life. So as you can imagine, she has a lot of recipes from all three countries. She also has recipes from other arab countries as well. Go buy this book now! Some of the recipes take a while to make but thats because she doesn't like taking shortcuts. Get this book if you want to be a good cook!</li><li><strong>Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen by Sonia Uvezian:</strong> Sonia Uvezian is Lebanese of Armenian descent. The book covers recipes from the Levant (Al-Sham) region only. The recipes are amazing and delicious! Her version of mulookhiya is the best that I've ever tasted! I also learned how to make amazing Laban Ummo (Lamb with yogurt sauce) from this book. What's sad about this book though is that Uvezian decides to ignore Palestine completely. The book contains pictures and ancecdotes from the 19th and early 20th century, but mysteriously, any reference to Palestine was left out. This is all very strange because she keeps talking about the "greater syria region" but only refers to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan from being part of that region. She talks about some dishes of Palestinian origin but never mentions where dishes of Palestinian origin come from! The only other place is when she mentions Palestinians is when she talks about the make-up of the Jordanian population. She states: "At present, however, the Palestinians, who have emigrated from their homeland in what is now Israel, represent the majority." Emigrated?????????????? Expelled or massacred are better words to use if you ask me! Anyhow.. I digress.. Buy the book. Its great! Too bad she thinks of Palestinians as a bunch of people who willfully emigrated from their homeland to Jordan though.</li><li><strong>A taste of the Arabian Gulf by Afnan Rashid Al Zayani:</strong> Since there are so few cookbooks that focus on Bahrain or the Khaleej, this book is your best bet if you want to learn anything about khalijee (and specifically Bahraini) cooking. Since the author is half Iraqi (I think.. many of the Al Zayanis have married people from Iraq) it also contains numerous Iraqi recipes. Since Bahrain has a large population of persian origin, she also includes many Iranian recipes. I rely on this book a lot. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without it! I wouldn't know how to make many of the dishes I grew up with had it not been from this book! My only problem with some (actually most) of the recipes in the book, is that the author doesn't provide us with the simplest way to make the recipe. There are easier and quicker ways to make the same recipes which achieve the same (if not better!) results. Since my mother emails me a lot of recipes and has taught me a lot of cooking techniques, I have learned how to tweak her recipes in order to reduce my cooking time and still achieve a great result. </li></ul><p>Books that I plan to buy (and that you should buy too!):</p><ul><li><strong>New Food for Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies or a Taste of Persia, both by </strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Najmieh%20Batmanglij"><strong>Najmieh Batmanglij</strong></a><strong> .</strong> I have many cookbooks that contain Iranian recipes, but I still don't own a book solely dedicated to Iranian cooking. Batmanglij is THE expert on Iranian cooking. Ask any Iranian cook and they will tell you! My mother owns the book a Taste of Persia. She loves it! I made one recipe from it, maragat bathinjan (Eggplant stew) and it turned out to be amazing! I made it three years ago and I still remember how it tastes! The cool thing about a Taste of Persia is that it has pictures for every single recipe. New Food for Life has more recipes than A Taste of Persia and more historical information. However, it doesn't have pictures for every single recipe. I am not sure which one I'm going to buy but most likely I'll buy New Food for Life.</li><li><strong>Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and History of Iraqi Cuisine by Nawal Nasrallah:</strong> Iraqi food is simply the best food in the Arab world. I may be a little biased since Bahraini food is very close to Iraqi food but I still stand by my point! Unfortunately I don't own any Iraqi cookbooks. Most of the Iraqi recipes that I have made come from Afnan AlZayani's cookbook and Tess Mallos' cookbook. I did a lot of research on Amazon.com and it seems like out of all the cookbooks dedicated to Iraqi cooking, this one is the best. I can't wait to buy it!</li></ul><p>I hope this list encourages you to go out and buy your own cookbook. Believe me, anyone can learn how to cook! You just need to be able to follow directions. And once you master that, you'll soon be able to internalize the techniques and make things without using any recipe!</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-85727161998661155102008-02-25T18:15:00.001-08:002009-04-08T19:41:51.476-07:00Fedai's Wara'a Enab Bil Zayt (Stuffed Vine Leaves)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1gaYIY59I/AAAAAAAAA1E/gAJH6mrnwEw/s1600-h/medium_product_image_5415.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 256px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1gaYIY59I/AAAAAAAAA1E/gAJH6mrnwEw/s320/medium_product_image_5415.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322516340892297170" /></a><br /><ul><li>2 jars vine leaves, drained and stems removed</li><li>1 medium onion, sliced</li><li>1 medium tomato, sliced</li><li>1 large potato, sliced </li><li>1 lb steak, pounded very thinly, for bottom of pan (optional)</li><li>Salt </li><li>pepper</li><li>1 large tomato, chopped (for roll layers)</li></ul><p>Stuffing:</p><ul><li>2 cups rice, washed and drained</li><li>2 medium onions</li><li>chopped finely1 cup parsley</li><li>chopped finely1/4 cup fresh mint</li><li>chopped finely or 4 tbsp. dried mint</li><li>3 medium tomatoes, chopped finely</li><li>1/4 cup olive oil1</li><li>/4 cup lemon juice</li><li>2 teas. Salt</li><li>1 teas. Black pepper</li><li>1 teas. Cinnamon </li><li>2 teas. Allspice</li></ul><p>To finish:</p><ul><li>1/4 cup lemon juice</li><li>1/4 cup olive oil</li><li>1/2 teas. </li><li>Salt</li><li>1 cup water</li></ul><ol><li>Put the potatoes on the bottom of the pan in which the vine leaves are to be cooked. </li><li>Cover with sliced tomatoes and sliced onion. </li><li>Sprinkle with salt.</li><li>Season steak, with salt and pepper; and put on top of the sliced onions. </li><li>Mix stuffing ingredients very well.</li><li>Working with one grape leaf at a time, lay it down with the rough side up and place a teaspoon of stuffing in the center of the leaf. </li><li>Roll once, fold in sides and roll tightly. </li><li>Repeat with the rest of the grape leaves. </li><li>Pack rolls, folded side down, in tight rows and layers, in the pan on top of steak. </li><li>Sprinkle each layer with chopped tomatoes and salt. </li><li>Take a heatproof plate and put it on top of grape leaves, pressing down. </li><li>Mix finished ingredients well, pour over grape leaves. </li><li>Cover pan, bring to a boil quickly, turn down heat and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has evaporated.</li><li>Let grape leaves cool before inverting on a serving plate. </li><li>Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with a bowl of yogurt.</li></ol><p>Yummy!</p><p>Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-58135400611963580202008-02-25T18:11:00.000-08:002009-04-08T19:46:33.719-07:00Chicken Curry Recipe (thanks Fedai!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1hhv_gQ5I/AAAAAAAAA1U/Vl5NOz2TUGI/s1600-h/ChickenCurry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1hhv_gQ5I/AAAAAAAAA1U/Vl5NOz2TUGI/s320/ChickenCurry.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322517567068193682" /></a><br /><ul><li>1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast</li><li>2 majji cubes1 teas. </li><li>Salt</li><li>1/4 teas. Black pepper</li><li>2 tabl. Curry</li><li>3 cups of cold water</li><li>3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes</li><li>3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into small cubes</li><li>1 small bag of frozen green peas</li><li>golden raisins (optional)</li><li>1 medium onion, chopped finely</li><li>1 tabl. Flour</li><li>vegetable oil</li><li>olive oil</li></ul><ol><li>Cut chicken in bit size cubes. </li><li>Over high heat, heat 1 tab. of olive oil in a frying pan, add chicken pieces. </li><li>Fry till chicken is golden brown. Add salt , pepper and 1 tabl. Curry. Fry for 2 minutes.Add cold water and majji cubes. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning.</li><li>Meanwhile: Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. When oil starts smoking, add potatoes. Stir frequently so potatoes will not stick to each other. </li><li>Once potatoes are golden brown remove to a paper towel covered plate and set aside.</li><li>Fry carrots in olive oil till almost tender. Remove from pan and set aside.</li><li>Do the same with the green peas and raisins.</li><li>Add fried veggies and raisins to chicken pot. </li><li>Fry onion, curry, and flour in 1 tabl. of olive oil, just until onions are transparent.</li><li>Stir into the chicken pot. </li><li>Simmer chicken curry on low heat until liquid has thickened. </li><li>Serve with rice pilaf.</li></ol><p>Yumm O!</p><p>Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-6644319789024024072008-02-25T18:02:00.001-08:002009-04-08T19:55:26.603-07:00Fedai's easy atayef recipe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1jm6biGmI/AAAAAAAAA1c/-UsTJcwTAUU/s1600-h/411902572_f9e161a30b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1jm6biGmI/AAAAAAAAA1c/-UsTJcwTAUU/s320/411902572_f9e161a30b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322519854792710754" /></a><br />My husband swears that these are the best atayef that he's ever tasted!<br /><br />Batter:<br /><ul><li>3 cups warm milk</li><li>2 cups smead 3</li><li>tbsp. flour</li><li>1 1/4 tsp. each: baking soda, baking powder, mahleb</li><li>1 pack instant yeast</li></ul><ol><li>combine all ingredients in a blender, liquid first. </li><li>Blend 5 minutes. </li></ol><p>Choose from these Filling options</p><ul><li>2 cups chopped walnuts</li><li>3 tbsp. sugar</li><li>2 tsp. cinnamon</li><li>Mix all well in a bowl</li></ul><p>Or</p><ul><li>1lb. Ricotta Cheese</li></ul><p>Or</p><ul><li>ustah:</li><li>small container half/half</li><li>3-4 tbsp. corn starch (dissolved in water)</li><li>1 qt. heavy whipping cream (small milk carton)</li><li>2-3 tbsp. sugar</li></ul><ol><li>put half & half,sugar,whipping cream in a pot bring to boil. </li><li>Add slowly dissolved cornstarch stirring well. </li><li>Put in refrigerator to thicken.</li></ol><p>Or </p><ul><li>1 lb. unsalted lebanese white cheese, grated</li></ul><p>Atter (syrup):</p><ul><li>2 cups sugar</li><li>1 1/2 cups water</li><li>1 tsp. lemon juice</li><li>1 tsp. orange blossom water</li></ul><ol><li>Start by making Atter since it needs to be cold.</li><li>Dissolve sugar in water, stirring over medium high heat until dissolved. </li><li>Bring to a boil. </li><li>Add lemon juice and lower heat.</li><li>Simmer 10-15 minutes.</li><li>Just before moving from heat add orange blossom water. </li><li>Let cool. </li><li>Heat a griddle or small nonstick frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease with butter. </li><li>Pour 1/2 ladle of batter into the pan and tilt immediately to allow it to spread. Make sure it remains round and thick.</li><li>Cook about 1 minute or until all bubbles forming on pancake disappear and underside is golden brown. </li><li>Fry one side of pancake only. The other side must remain uncooked and moist, so that its edges can be stuck together.</li><li>Lift out and pile on plate ready for stuffing.</li><li>put a heaping tablespoon of stuffing in middle of pancake, on uncooked side. </li><li>Fold pancakes in half over filling to make half-moon shape, and pinch edges to secure.Deep fry, until golden brown,turning them over once. </li><li>Drain well on paper towels. </li><li>While still hot dip in cold Atter syrup. </li><li>Serve hot or cold.</li></ol><p>Sahtayn!</p><p>Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-10461696749022154802008-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:002009-04-08T19:44:32.920-07:00Fedai's Mujadara Dish<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1hDMOs1OI/AAAAAAAAA1M/wnmQyen_61s/s1600-h/moujadara2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1hDMOs1OI/AAAAAAAAA1M/wnmQyen_61s/s320/moujadara2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322517042072179938" /></a><br /><ul><li>1/4 cup olive oil</li><li>2 large onions, halved, and sliced thinly</li><li>1 cup brown lentils, washed and drained thoroughly</li><li>1 1/2 cups long grain rice, washed and drained thoroughly</li><li>Water</li><li>1 teas. Ground allspice</li><li>1 teas. Ground coriander</li><li>1 teas. each Salt and pepper</li></ul><ol><li>Heat oil in pan, add onions and fry until golden brown. </li><li>Remove half the onions to a plate covered with absorbent paper to drain and become crisp.</li><li>Wash Rice several times. </li><li>Cover with cold water, set aside for 30 minutes. Drain well</li><li>Meanwhile, put lentils in a pan cover with 2 1/2 cups of water. Simmer; uncovered for 25 minutes or just until tender.</li><li>Add rice, spices, salt, pepper, and the remaining onions. Bring to a boil. Lower temperature, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. </li><li>Garnish with crisp brown onions. </li><li>Serve hot or cold with yogurt or a salad. </li></ol><p> </p><p>Yumm O!Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-58287946712834651562008-02-25T17:52:00.000-08:002008-03-11T12:31:50.738-07:00Fedai's Tabouleh Recipe (Parsley and Burghul Salad)<ul><li>6-83/4 cup fine burghul (cracked wheat)</li><li>cold water</li><li>5 cups finely chopped parsley</li><li>1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions</li><li>1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint</li><li>3 large firm ripe tomatoes, chopped finely</li><li>1/4 cup olive oil</li><li>1/4 cup lemon juice</li><li>2 tsp. salt</li><li>1/4 teaspoon black pepper</li><li>Crisp romaine lettuce leaves, washed</li></ul><p></p><ol><li>Place burgul in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes.Drain through a fine sieve. Pressing with the back of a spoon to remove as much of the excess water as possible. </li><li>Place in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.</li><li>Put chopped green onions with dried burgul in a bowl. </li><li>Squeeze mixture with hand so burgul absorbs onion flavor. </li><li>Add parsley and mint to the burgul. </li><li>Gently stir in tomatoes. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.J</li><li>ust before serving, mix olive oil with lemon juice. </li><li>Stir in salt and pepper. Add to salad and toss well.</li><li>Serve in a deep serving dish and garnish with lettuce leaves.</li></ol><p>Yumm O!</p><p>Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-3677545501797189262008-02-25T17:38:00.000-08:002010-02-09T10:31:19.180-08:00Chicken, Couscous and Chickpea salad<p>This easy recipe makes for a light and satisfying lunch. I prefer making this with shredded chicken and real chicken stock because it is so much tastier that way. But if you don't have leftover shredded chicken or don't feel like making it then just use chicken breasts.</p><ul><li>1 cup of Couscous</li><li>1 cup of chicken stock (or water if you don't have chicken stock)</li><li>1 tablespoon of butter</li><li>2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint (or dried mint if you don't have any fresh mint)</li><li>3 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley (or dried parsley if you don't have any fresh mint)</li><li>Juice of of 2 lemons</li><li>Salt</li><li>Pepper</li><li>Olive oil</li><li>cooked shredded chicken (boil one whole chicken with water, salt and tumeric for an hour or until done. Let cool. Shred chicken) OR or two breasts of chicken</li><li>1 can of chickpeas (around 2 and a half cups), drained</li><li>3/4 teaspoon of tumeric</li></ul><ol><li>Prepare the chicken if not using shredded chicken: Cut chicken breast into small pieces. Put in pot and cover with water. Add tumeric, salt and pepper to taste.</li><li>Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked. This usually takes no more than 10-15 minutes. Alternatively you can marinate the chicken in a mixture of tumeric, salt, pepper and lemons for 10 minutes and then sautee until done.</li><li>Meanwile prepare couscous by following directions on the box. Usually this involves bringing 1 cup of chicken stock/water, 1 tablespoon of butter and salt to a boil. When chicken/water reaches boiling point, add one cup of couscous. Remove from heat quickly and stir. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.</li><li>Add chicken pieces to couscous. Add chickpeas, mint, parsley, juice of one lemon, salt and olive oil to taste. Mix all together.</li></ol>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-71136040475723828382007-10-03T15:54:00.000-07:002007-10-03T16:04:00.305-07:00Baked Trout with Rice, Tomatoes and NutsThis is a Spanish recipe that I love making. The recipe is from the book "Spanish Food and Cooking" by Pepita Aris. Try it. You won't be dissapointed!!<br /><br />Ingredients<br /><ul><li>2 fresh trout about 500g/1 1/4 Ib each</li><li>75g/3oz/ 3/4 cup mixed unsalted almonds, pine nuts or hazelnuts</li><li>25 ml/ 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling</li><li>1 small onion finely chopped</li><li>10 ml/ 2 tsp grated fresh root ginger</li><li>175g/6 0z/ 1 1/2 cup cooked white long grain rice</li><li>4 tomatoes peeled and very finely hopped</li><li>4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped</li><li>30 ml/ 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon</li><li>2 fresh tarragon springs</li><li>salt and ground black pepper</li><li>dressed green salad leaves to serve</li></ul><ol><li>Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F. If the trout is unfilleted, use a sharp knife to fillet it. Remove any tiny bones remaining in the cavity using a pair of tweezers</li><li>Spread out the nuts ina shallow pan and bake for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, shaking the pan occassionally. Chop the nuts roughly</li><li>Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the grated ginger, cook for a further 1 minute, then spoon into a mixing bowl.</li><li>Stir the rice, chopped tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, toasted nuts and tarragon into the onion mixture. Season the stuffing well.</li><li>Place the trout on individual large pieces of oiled foil andspoon the stuffing into the cavities. Add a sprig of tarragonanda drizzleofolive oil or oil from the sundried tomatoes</li><li>Fold the foil over toenclose each trout completely, and put the parcels in a large roating pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the fish is just tender. Cut the fish into thick slives. Serve with salad leaves.</li></ol>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-90493825302411264362007-10-03T14:56:00.000-07:002009-04-08T20:06:09.565-07:00Basboosa (thanks Fedai!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1mHC7D3_I/AAAAAAAAA10/0s9MtpENBEE/s1600-h/basbosayh0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1mHC7D3_I/AAAAAAAAA10/0s9MtpENBEE/s320/basbosayh0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322522605851500530" /></a><br />Basboosa recipe:<br /><br /><ul><li>Preheat oven 350.</li></ul><p>Make qater (syrup):</p><ul><li>Dissolve 2 cups sugar in 1 1/2 cup of water. </li><li>Bring to boil, add 1 tabl. lemon juice. </li><li>Simmer on low for 10-15 min. </li><li>Add 2 tsp. orange blossom water. remove from heat. </li><li>Set aside to cool. </li></ul><p>Basboosa: </p><ul><li>2 cups smead kheshen</li><li>1 cup sugar</li><li>2 Tabl. unsalted butter melted</li><li>1/2 cup coconut</li><li>1 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt (can add 1 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup sour cream..if want..thats what I do.)</li><li>1/2 tsp. baking soda</li><li>pinch of salt </li></ul><ol><li>mix ingredients well with wooden spoon.</li><li>grease pan with 2 tabl. of taheena (sesame paste). Or you may grease with oil. </li><li>Pour mixture in pan and spread evenly. </li><li>Sprinkle w/ almonds</li><li>Cut into serving pieces before putting in oven. Middle rack 30-40 min. </li><li>Broil to get that golden color. </li><li>Remove and pour cold syrup all over it.</li></ol><p>Syrup needs to be cold and basboosa needs to be hot!</p><p>ENJOY!</p><p>Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-34680184251615186632007-09-26T11:08:00.000-07:002009-04-08T19:56:34.441-07:00Dawood Baasha -Meatballs & Pine nuts in tomato sauce (thanks Fedai!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1j3G6qyTI/AAAAAAAAA1k/psOg3MypwkM/s1600-h/dawood+basha.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 151px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1j3G6qyTI/AAAAAAAAA1k/psOg3MypwkM/s320/dawood+basha.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322520133022435634" /></a><br /><ul><li>1lb. basic kofta mixture (ground beef, parsley,mixed spices,onions,salt,pepper)</li><li>1 cup pine nuts ( i use a handful)</li><li>1/2 cup olive oil2 large onions, chopped</li><li>4 medium tomatoes (peeled) ...I use crushed less expensive and taste great!</li><li>2 tabl. tomoato paste blended w/1 cup water</li><li>1/2 tsp. mixed spices </li><li>salt & pepper</li><li>juice of half a lemon</li></ul><ol><li>mould kafta into small balls size of half an egg </li><li>in a saucepan lighty brown pine nuts in oil, remove set aside</li><li>fry onions in same pan until golden brown, remove and set aside.</li><li>brown meatballs set aside.</li><li>place peeled tomatoes and paste blended w/water in pan and bring to boil. </li><li>add spices, salt, pepper, lemon juice, onions and meatballs. </li><li>simmer 20 minutes. </li><li>add more water is needed. add pine nuts before serving. </li><li>serve w/rice pilaf</li></ol><p>yummO!</p><p>Fedai</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-47163543341440004722007-09-23T14:06:00.000-07:002007-09-23T14:11:33.745-07:00Grilled Chicken Breasts (thanks Amal!)Hi Rasha,<br /><br />This is a quick and easy dish, and good for dieting. My version of grilled chicken breast. <br /><ol><li>Take chicken breast fillets pieces and marinade in lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, greek yougart, salt and black pepper. You can substitue lemon zest for parsely if you want. </li><li>Grill in oven for around 20 min. Half way through cooking, drain out the water that comes from the marinade, leaving a little to stay moist and leave to cook for another 5-10 min. </li><li>Serve with rice or bread and salad.</li></ol><p>Enjoy!</p><p>Amal</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-8887016273639022402007-09-22T11:30:00.000-07:002007-09-22T11:40:36.425-07:00Sala6a - Arabic SaladI've always hated the heavy salads with the thick dressing that they use in America. Salads in the arab world are much lighter and simpler. Because the dressing isn't heavy, you can actually taste the vegatables!<br /><br />For the salad:<br /><ul><li>plum tomatoes sliced</li><li>cucumbers, sliced or diced - use the skinny type</li><li>chopped parsley</li><li>romaine lettuce or any other lettuce that isn't bitter - chopped</li><li>mint leaves</li><li>Other ingredients you might want to add are: carrots, bell peppers, radishes (use the small type)</li></ul><p>For the dressing:</p><ul><li>lemon or lime juice - use the thin skinned variety</li><li>Olive oil</li><li>Salt</li><li>Garlic (optional)</li></ul><ol><li>Wash vegetables and chop. Make sure vegetables are super-dry after you wash them.</li><li>wisk dressing ingredients together and pour over vegetables</li></ol><p>Variations:</p><ul><li>For Fattoush, cut pita bread into pieces, fry in olive oil until hard (alternatively you can just toast the pita bread pieces). Add to vegetables. Add sumac to the dressing ingredients.</li></ul><p> </p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-76800631651673703332007-09-21T09:35:00.000-07:002007-09-21T09:38:00.626-07:00Liver, Bahraini Style (Thanks Amal!)Take around maybe<br /><ul><li>300gms of liver chopped</li><li>1 chopped red onion</li><li>3 cloves of crushed garlic</li><li>black lemon or lime grounded (only found in arabic or maybe iranian shops)</li><li>khaleeji spice mix (ibzar), </li><li>black pepper</li><li>1 potato (optional)</li><li>sunflower oil</li><li>salt. </li></ul><ol><li>Peel and dice the potato into small pieces and par boil until slightly soft. </li><li>Fry the onions and garlic in oil until soft</li><li>Add spice mix, black pepper, grounded lemon. Let the spices infuse with the onions. </li><li>Add the potatoes, liver and salt and mix on a high heat. </li><li>Then lower heat and cover for a minute. Be careful not to over cook the liver as it will become hard. </li><li>Serve with green salad, spring onions and pitta bread.</li></ol>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-40242009398557643822007-09-21T09:31:00.000-07:002007-09-21T09:33:24.453-07:00Lamb Chops with Rosemary - My Cousin Amal's RecipeHi Rasha ,<br /><br />This my version of lamb chops with rosemary.<br /><br /><ul><li>Take a few sprigs of rosemary, remove the leaves, put in blender until coarse powder. </li><li>Take black peppercorns and crush coarsely. </li><li>Mix peper with rosemary and olive oil to a paste consistency. Then rub on the lamb chops and marinade for 30 mins or more (optional). Sprinkle with sea salt and then grill in oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with roast potatoes.</li></ul><p>Take care</p><p>Amal</p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-55857288690308363872007-09-19T20:02:00.001-07:002007-09-19T20:11:38.517-07:00Lentil SoupLentil soup is a ramadhan staple. There are many versions of this soup throughout the arab world, but my mothers version, which is the egyptian style is my favorite. Don't omit the cumin. Lentils have the tendancy to be really heavy on the stomach (yinfa'7 il ba6in as we say in Bahrain) and the cumin helps prevent that from happening<br /><br /><ul><li>1 cup of split shelled yellow lentils (it is essential to use the split shelled type)</li><li>1/4 cup of rice (this is my mothers secret addition. It makes the soup much smoother)</li><li>1 small onion finely chopped</li><li>1 tablespoon of butter</li><li>1 teaspoon of cumin</li><li>Salt and pepper to taste</li></ul><ol><li>Boil lentils and rice in salted water until both are soft. Add cumin. The amount of water you want to boil it in depends on how thick you want the soup to be. I suggest using around 2/3 of a pot of water and adding more water if you later feel the soup is too thick</li><li>Meanwhile, fry the chopped onions in butter until soft and golden</li><li>Add onions to lentils and rice mixture</li><li>Blend in blender and season with salt and pepper. Add more water if you feel that its too thick</li><li>Pour soup back in pot and heat again for another 5 minutes stirring consistently</li></ol>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560988488495926374.post-19449657603022788002007-09-19T19:56:00.000-07:002009-04-08T19:59:51.562-07:00Hummus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1kolCLs7I/AAAAAAAAA1s/AkZKkN2BdOU/s1600-h/Hummus_from_The_Nile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4gqZRA9_3uU/Sd1kolCLs7I/AAAAAAAAA1s/AkZKkN2BdOU/s320/Hummus_from_The_Nile.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322520982920606642" /></a><br />The proportions of the ingredients is really up to you. For a richer hummus, add more tahina. For a ligher more lemony hummus add more lemon. I don't like a lot of tahina in my hummus<br /><br /><ul><li>1 cans of chickpeas (drained and washed in water)</li><li>1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic</li><li>1 1/2 tablespoons of tahina</li><li>salt taste</li><li>juice of 2 medium lemons</li><li>Olive oil and paprika to garish</li></ul><ol><li>Blend chickpeas, garlic, tahina, salt and lemon juice together in blender</li><li>garnish with olive oil and paprika</li></ol><p> </p>Reeshiezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300122859515631500noreply@blogger.com0